


Moonrise

by Chancy_Lurking



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ableism, Banned Together Bingo, Big Sisters, Blood, Canon-Typical Ableism, Coming of Age, First Period, Gen, Menstruation, Wordcount: 100-500
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chancy_Lurking/pseuds/Chancy_Lurking
Summary: Katara has a handful of blood she doesn’t know what to do with and a visibly terrified thirteen-year-old meeting her moon for the first time.(Toph gets her first period. It sucks, but she's got sisters to help.)
Relationships: Katara & Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong & Suki
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79
Collections: Banned Together Bingo 2020





	Moonrise

**Author's Note:**

> Banned Together Bingo Square: Menstruation

Blood bending is a dark practice. Katara believes this in the intimate way of someone who has been personally violated by the technique—both having it used against her _and_ using it herself.

It’s not even that she makes the conscious decision to _do_ it, exactly. But she doesn’t want to paint herself as thoughtless. The action wasn’t _thoughtless_.

When Toph stands up and there’s blood darkening her seat, the same impulse that makes Suki jump up to stand protectively behind her makes Katara instantly bend the blood out of the fabric of the chair.

Toph doesn’t startle, she felt Suki coming, but she still tries to turn when Suki grabs her shoulders. “ _Woah,_ Suki, what—?”

“Guys, we’re stepping out for a second!” Katara says, smiling brightly at their confused looks. “We’ll be back later.”

“You bled through your clothes,” Suki mumbles under her breath at the same time. The words make Toph stiffen, face paling.

Aang looks concerned. “Are you okay?”

Katara has a handful of blood she doesn’t know what to do with and a visibly terrified thirteen-year-old meeting her moon for the first time. Before she can answer, a minor earthquake sends all three boys’ chairs toppling backwards.

Suki uses the distraction to guide Toph towards the exit, Katara hurrying behind. “Great! We’ll be back!”

There are some glaring holes in Toph’s understanding. They forget, sometimes, that her parents thought she’d be helpless her whole life; never taught her how to take care of herself, thinking she’d never do it. Katara and Suki explain everything they were lucky enough to have women explain to them.

“We’ll get you rags,” Suki assures her, while Katara draws the blood out of Toph’s clothes, into a wash basin they got from the Madam of the bathhouse.

“I don’t want _rags!_ ” Toph exclaims, half-dressed and shaken. “I don’t want this _at all!_ ”

Katara and Suki share a look, barely past the age of having crossed this bridge themselves.

“I guess First Moon Parties aren’t a thing for you all?” Suki asks.

Toph looks livid. “Why would we _celebrate_ this?”

“Because it sucks,” Suki shrugs. “We might as well get sweets for it.”

They do get her rags, kindly ignoring her embarrassment as they show her how to wear them. They get her sweets, too, a red bean bun that finally makes her laugh, thanking them. The boys don’t ask questions. Sokka or Zuko must’ve gotten to Aang, because he immediately launches into a completely irrelevant conversation unprompted and Katara adores him for it.

Katara even spare some adoration for Zuko when Toph’s pains come that night and he sits down beside her, puts his hand on her stomach. “Mai used to ask me,” he whispers, respectful not disgusted. “Apparently heat helps.” And Toph had thanked him, too sore and grateful to be contrary.

Something about it makes Katara think a scary little thought.

Like maybe there are worse things than a water bender with a little moon blood on her hands.

**Author's Note:**

> We’ve come full circle back to rags with the reusable movement, but at least they stay in place better and probably don’t leak as much.
> 
> Also, if you’re pre-period and reading this, look: everyone bleeds through their clothes at least once, it’s okay, it’s not a huge, tragic failure. Be nice to each other.


End file.
